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Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated New Beginnings in Books

Jun 16, 2018

New Beginnings

Rebecca Emin | 2012 | Young Adult (YA)

6.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

Contains spoilers, click to show

New Beginnings by Rebecca Emin is a book about a girl named Sam Hendry who faces bullying at her new school. The subject of this book that is carefully dealt with is bullying. Bullying is a problem that many students face today. This book also deals with the everyday life of a soon-to-be teenager.

Sam is a girl who is about to leave her primary school and friends to start at a new school. At the new school Sam does not know anyone there. Sam wants to stay at her primary school where she feel comfortable. She does not want to have to find new friends, but she does not have a choice. Even worse, at the new school Sam is the target by the bully of the school. Life does not seem to be going well for Sam but luckily she finds friends. She joins the drama club where she is able to express herself and nurture her talents.

Sam’s life involves her friends, talent, interests and first crush. The plot line effectively covers it all. It was refreshing to read about life through innocent eyes. I wish the author had given the reader a more indepth look at the lives of the different characters. I enjoyed reading this innocent story.

Kudos

Eilidh G Clark (177 KP) rated Chocky in Books

Jul 2, 2019

Chocky

John Wyndham | 2009 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy

7.5

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

The story is weirdly good and disturbing (0 more)

Sometime a bit dated in style (0 more)

Weird and a bit dated

Contains spoilers, click to show

I picked this book up at work a few days ago and had never heard of it. Seeing as I was looking for filler fiction while I work on university assignments I am delighted I found it. It is well written from the first person perspective of Mathews father. Matthew is an eleven year old boy with an imaginary friend. When his adopted parent become concerned as to the irregularities of Mathews interests and in the way he talks they seek help. As it turns out Chocky is real. An intelligent life form sent to earth to explore the planet to see if it worthy of habitation. Okay, this might sound like a, been there, done that kind of novel but Chocky delves into parental worries about psychological issues. In addition, the character of Chocky looks at Earth from an outsiders point of view and what he/she finds is interesting and worth thinking about. It sheds a light on the way we consume power, on the way we pollute the environment and on greed and corruption. Very cleverly done and nicely concluded.